Sold to the shadows

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

The consistent ringing in my ears was accompanied by dizziness, and my throat felt like I had swallowed glass. I groaned and tried to sit up but froze when I realized I was tied with my hands behind my back. My eyes flew open, but I was met with nothing but shadows, and the air reeked of damp wood and metal.

My mind vaguely recalled the attack. Darcy. Damn it. She and her goons killed Kate.

My anger turned to panic as I heard muffled steps. My pulse quickened, and it was harder to breathe with the hood over my head. I twisted my hands, wincing as the rope cut deeper into my bruised wrists. “Damn it, Darcy. When I get free, I swear I'll…”

“Don't bother, love,” a smooth, sultry voice interrupted my threats. I snapped my head in the direction of the voice. The hood was yanked off, and light stung my eyes.

I blinked rapidly and was greeted by a beautiful dark-haired lady who stared back at me. Her blue eyes shifted to my face, and a frown tugged at her lips. “That's no good,” she said, standing straight. “You're all battered up. Such a beauty.”

She hummed softly before taking my face by my chin, scanning my features. “You'll fetch a handsome sum.”

I furrowed my brows and ripped my head out of her grip. “Where am I?” I demanded, keeping my voice as still as possible.

A blow to my stomach almost knocked the air out of me. “You'll learn to speak when being spoken to.” She forcefully grabbed my face again, digging her nails into my chin.

“You belong to me now. And I'll do with you how I see fit,” she smiled, but it barely reached her eyes. “It would be such a waste to kill someone so pretty,” she said in a warning tone before leaving the room.

The lock on the door clicked before I got myself together. I sagged against the wall, drawing ragged breaths. My wrists throbbed where the rope bit into them, but I refused to give in. I scanned around the small, windowless room. Shadows pooled in the corners, and broken wood littered the floor. One shard caught my eye.

I shuffled closer, stretching my hands to grab it. The splintered edge was sharp enough. I slipped it into my sleeve, breathing deeply to calm my shaky hands.

My best chance was to wait until someone came through those doors. But I didn't wait long. The lock clicked again, and I was greeted by a buff man who came through the door. The scars across his face gave him a scary look, and I internally shivered.

Without a word, he hauled me to my feet and dragged me out of the room through a dark hallway; the smell of must overwhelmed me. He pushed me in front of him, holding my shoulders to keep me in place, and stopped for a minute to unlock another door. I took my chance. I slowly slipped the shard out of my sleeve while he was distracted, driving it into his leg. His grip loosened, enabling me to run through the door he had just opened.

The lights flickered, making it hard for me to see, but I pushed my legs harder. His angry footsteps echoed closely in a short while. I looked back. A mistake. And I tripped, crashing over a laid-out pipe. A groan left my lips as I scurried to get on my feet.

A hand grabbed my shoulders; his iron grip threw me against the wall before kneeing me in the gut. The pain rippled through me, and I fell to the ground. His fingers slipped into my hair, pulling my head upward.

“I can't do anything to your face,” he snarled, slightly out of breath. His gaze scanned me. “But your body…” The wind was knocked out of me with a punch. “I can do whatever it takes to make you comply.”

He stood to his feet. “Behave,” he huffed, a warning. He hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Blood rushed to my head, making me dizzy, and my body screamed in agony, but I bit back a groan, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

Where the hell was I? My encounter with Darcy only came in bits and pieces, but we were in the prison walls; that much I knew. Not in some abandoned building. s**t. They must have paid those crooked guards to turn a blind eye.

After a while of walking, I was brought down to my feet. I struggled for a few seconds, but I was in a dressing room. There were two other girls. They had hollow expressions, but there they were, putting on makeup, picking out dresses, and trying out fragrances.

I furrowed my brows in confusion and walked cautiously into the space. The lock behind me clicked, making me turn back. The girls signaled to me, urging me to sit. I hesitated but gave in.

“You need to get ready, the auction is almost starting,” she said in a flat tone. Her gaze was expressionless. The beautiful brunette chimed in behind me as she set down a palette. Her stature was one to be envied, with her tall frame and slender body. Her gray eyes glistened, complementing her pale skin.

“Auction? Wh-what is this place?” I said as she combed through my thick hair.

Placing the comb on the table, she stretched her hand out to the other girl. She looked more timid than the first. “It's a flesh market. Whoever dumped you here probably had a debt to pay or a score to settle.” Her gaze was on me through the mirror, her tone nonchalant.

The girl passed her the mascara and spoke in whispers, “It's not that bad, honestly. Just pray you get sold to a kind person.”

She snorted, then rolled her eyes. “That's Bree. She's always so optimistic. What would a kind person be doing at a place where they bid on girls?”

“Why don't you just run?” I was startled by Lila's harsh laughter. She went on for a while before turning dead serious.

“It's not that simple. You run, you die,” she simply said, leaving me with a growing pit in my stomach.

I looked at my face and sucked in a breath. I looked… different. My lips were red with a heavy layer of foundation that covered the bruises. My blue eyes were made up lightly, and my blonde hair fell perfectly at my side.

“Here,” she handed me a white dress, and I slipped into it. The dress barely covered my thighs, and I dragged it down, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

I didn't know how to feel about all this, but I knew what I had to do. It was obvious I wasn't going to escape this place with the security and everything, but I could keep my head down until I was ‘bought.’ It would be easier to run away then.

I straightened out my dress and stood up straight. I needed to be bought. That was my ticket out of here.

The doors opened, and the lady from before stepped in, scanned the room, and gave a satisfied nod.

“It's showtime, ladies,” she smiled widely, ushering us out to a rundown stage. The lights were mostly on us, so seeing the crowd was almost impossible. Not that it helped. Most of the guests wore masks.

The bidding started, and anxiety clawed its way in as it got closer to my turn. The fewer girls there were, the more the urge to run away came, but I kept as calm as possible.

“Number 18.” My pulse quickened as my number was called, and I stepped into the light. The hall was quiet for a minute; my breath seized, then came whispers… small talk here and there. I squeezed the sides of my dress; the tension was slowly killing me.

“Five million,” a deep, husky voice rumbled from the far end of the hall, sending tingles down my spine.

Wait. Five million dollars? What the hell… they can't be…

“Seven million,” another voice spoke. It sounded older than the first, and I found myself longing for the voice of the mystery stranger to speak again. And he did…

“Ten.” The crowd gasped; the whispers grew louder, tension mounting.

“Uhh… T-Ten point five,” the other voice stammered, sounding almost desperate.

“Fifteen,” the velvet voice spoke again, but this time there was an edge… irritation. A loud bang startled me, followed by cursing. I could tell by the voice it was the other man.

“Sold,” the auctioneer announced, and a series of claps followed. I was shown to the exit and waited there with one of the guards.

A tall, toned man strode toward me and stopped a few inches away, towering over me. His aura was suffocating, and I felt like shrinking into a shell, but I stood my ground, raising my head high.

A small smile played on his lips as he brought his long fingers to his face, slipping off his mask. His charcoal-black hair fell on his forehead as he dropped the mask. His gray eyes bored into my soul; his jaw tightened as he swept his gaze over my small frame.

I just stood there, hypnotized. How in the world could someone look so perfect? The way he looked at me sent heat down to my core. I didn't realize my mouth was hanging open until he spoke.

“I tend to have that effect on the ladies. But we don't have time,” his cold voice teased, then threw me over his shoulder with one swift move.

The wind grazed past my exposed butt, and I thrashed under his hold. “Let me down!” I screamed, but he spanked my butt in response, causing me to freeze. Blood rushed to my cheeks, not from being upside down but from embarrassment.

He threw me into the front seat of his car. The leather seat squished as I sank into it. He looked over at me after getting into the passenger seat, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“You'll need your seatbelt. It's going to be one hell of a ride.”